US6021194A - Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call - Google Patents

Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call Download PDF

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Publication number
US6021194A
US6021194A US08/767,359 US76735996A US6021194A US 6021194 A US6021194 A US 6021194A US 76735996 A US76735996 A US 76735996A US 6021194 A US6021194 A US 6021194A
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
speech
speech processing
processing feature
application
enhanced mode
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Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Fee Related
Application number
US08/767,359
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English (en)
Inventor
Lee Begeja
Carroll W. Creswell
Daniel Selig Furman
Michael Joseph Haller
John A. McMaster
John C. Songrady
Thomas Wasilewski
Donald Joseph Youtkus
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Nuance Communications Inc
AT&T Properties LLC
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AT&T Corp
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Publication date
Application filed by AT&T Corp filed Critical AT&T Corp
Priority to US08/767,359 priority Critical patent/US6021194A/en
Priority to CA002199309A priority patent/CA2199309C/fr
Priority to EP97103876A priority patent/EP0798911A3/fr
Priority to MXPA/A/1997/002228A priority patent/MXPA97002228A/xx
Priority to JP9077076A priority patent/JPH10107898A/ja
Assigned to AT&T CORP reassignment AT&T CORP ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: YOUTKUS, DONALD JOSEPH, HALLER, MICHAEL JOSEPH, WASILEWSKI, THOMAS, SONGRADY, JOHN C., BEGEJA, LEE, CRESWELL, CARROLL W., FURMAN, DANIEL SELIG, MCMASTER, JOHN A.
Priority to US09/222,802 priority patent/US6453043B1/en
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US6021194A publication Critical patent/US6021194A/en
Assigned to AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC reassignment AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: AT&T CORP.
Assigned to AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P. reassignment AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: AT&T PROPERTIES, LLC
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Assigned to NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. reassignment NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: AT&T INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY II, L.P.
Expired - Fee Related legal-status Critical Current

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    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/002—Applications of echo suppressors or cancellers in telephonic connections
    • H—ELECTRICITY
    • H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04M—TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION
    • H04M3/00—Automatic or semi-automatic exchanges
    • H04M3/40—Applications of speech amplifiers

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to enhancing the quality of speech in a telephone call and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus that provides a flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call.
  • non-adaptive includes, for example, pre-emphasis filters and equalizers.
  • Other features gradually and smoothly apply their effect, i.e., "ramp-up", following activation.
  • adaptive includes, for example, automatic gain control, background noise compensation, noise reduction and echo cancellation.
  • Curve 9 represents another adaptive process such as background noise compensation which takes a duration of time t 2 , to ramp-up.
  • a problem ensues throughout the duration of time t 1 -t 0 when the ramp-up of both processes overlap. During this period the processes interfere with each other and the call quality is severely degraded. Therefore, there is a need for a technique for providing multiple speech processing features to a telephone network without having the call quality initially degraded.
  • two speech processing features are applied to the speech signals of a telephone call.
  • the user only hears speech signals affected by one speech processing feature until both features have fully converged or ramped-up, and the two features are no longer interfering with each other.
  • a "flash-cut" of the second speech processing feature is activated.
  • the flash-cut instantaneously switches to speech signals affected by both features. This quick transition makes the speech processing features more noticeable to the user, and the user is not subjected to the period where the features interfere.
  • two speech processing features are applied to the speech signals of a telephone call.
  • the user hears speech signals not affected by either speech processing feature until both features have fully converged or ramped-up, and the two features are no longer interfering with each other. At that point, a "flash-cut" of both speech processing features is activated.
  • an audio indicator is generated before implementing the flash-cut, so the user is alerted to the flash-cut, and the speech processing features are even more noticeable.
  • FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating two speech processing features overlapping.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the speech processor of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the speech processor of the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the speech processor of the present invention.
  • processors For clarity of explanation, the illustrative embodiment of the present invention is presented as comprising individual functional blocks (including functional blocks labeled as "processors"). The functions these blocks represent may be provided through the use of either shared or dedicated hardware, including, but not limited to, hardware capable of executing software. For example, the functions of processors presented in FIG. 2 may be provided by a single shared processor. (Use of the term "processor” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software.)
  • Illustrative embodiments may comprise digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, such as the Lucent Technologies DSP16 or DSP32C, read-only memory (ROM) for storing software performing the operations discussed below, and random access memory (RAM) for storing DSP results.
  • DSP digital signal processor
  • ROM read-only memory
  • RAM random access memory
  • VLSI Very large scale integration
  • FIG. 2 a block diagram of a speech processor 15 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
  • incoming speech refers to the speech signal prior to processing while “outgoing speech” refers to the speech signal following processing.
  • the speech processor 15 includes an echo canceler 10 which performs echo cancellation on the incoming speech.
  • the input of the echo canceler 10 is coupled to the incoming speech path and the output is coupled to the input of both a fixed delay unit 18 and a speech enhancement processor 20.
  • the speech enhancement processor 20 implements one or more speech processing algorithms for processing incoming speech. In one embodiment, the speech enhancement processor 20 performs background noise compensation on the incoming speech.
  • the fixed delay unit 18 delays the speech path by an amount equal to the overall delay introduced by the speech enhancement processor 20.
  • the output of the fixed delay unit 18 and the speech enhancement processor 20 is selectively coupled through a switch 22 to the outgoing speech path.
  • the speech processor 15 further includes a delay timer 14.
  • the delay timer 14 is coupled to the switch 22 and includes a reset input 16.
  • the delay timer 14 can either configure the switch 22 so that the fixed delay unit 18 is coupled to the outgoing speech path (the "first position"), or so that the speech enhancement processor 20 is coupled to the outgoing speech path (the "second position").
  • the delay timer 14 waits for a fixed period of time and then configures the switch 22 to the second position.
  • a telephone call is initiated for the purposes of the speech processor 15 after the calling party has completed dialing.
  • the switch 22 is initially configured in the first position before the call is initiated. Therefore, initially the outgoing speech signals will only be affected by echo cancellation (and a delay).
  • a reset signal is either sent to the reset input 16 when a call is initiated, or when the called party has answered the call.
  • switch 22 is switched, or "flash-cut", to the second position and the outgoing speech signals are then affected by both echo cancellation and background noise compensation.
  • the amount of time that the delay timer 14 waits until it expires is set so that the echo cancellation has fully converged and the background noise compensation has fully ramped-up. In one embodiment, if the reset signal is sent to the reset input 16 when the call is initiated, the delay timer 14 is set to expire in approximately 55 seconds; if the reset signal is sent to the reset input 16 when the called party has answered the call, the delay timer 14 is set to expire in approximately 7 seconds.
  • the quality of the speech signals received by the user increases suddenly when the delay timer 14 expires and the signals are affected by the fully ramped-up background noise compensation. Further, the user is not subjected to degraded speech signals during the period where the two speech processing features overlap, i.e., during time t 1 -t 0 in FIG. 1.
  • FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a speech processor 32 in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the speech processor 32 is identical to the speech processor 15 shown in FIG. 2, except the speech processor 32 includes a audio logo generator 30 coupled to the delay timer 14 and the outgoing speech path.
  • the audio logo generator 30, when it is triggered by the expiration of the delay timer 14, generates an audio logo and adds it to the outgoing speech.
  • the audio logo alerts the customer that the telephone call is being flash-cut and the speech signals are now affected by both echo cancellation and background noise compensation. Therefore, the audio logo causes the effect of the background noise compensation to be even more noticeable to the user.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment for this capability wherein speech signal enhancement provided by echo canceler 10 and speech enhancement processor 20 are flash-cut by switch 22 simultaneously under the control of timer 14.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Signal Processing (AREA)
  • Telephone Function (AREA)
  • Cable Transmission Systems, Equalization Of Radio And Reduction Of Echo (AREA)
  • Interface Circuits In Exchanges (AREA)
  • Telephonic Communication Services (AREA)
US08/767,359 1996-03-28 1996-12-18 Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call Expired - Fee Related US6021194A (en)

Priority Applications (6)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US08/767,359 US6021194A (en) 1996-03-28 1996-12-18 Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call
CA002199309A CA2199309C (fr) 1996-03-28 1997-03-06 Activation eclair de caracteristiques de traitement de la parole lors d'un appel telephonique
EP97103876A EP0798911A3 (fr) 1996-03-28 1997-03-07 Commutation rapide de caractéristiques de traitement de parole dans un appel téléphonique
MXPA/A/1997/002228A MXPA97002228A (en) 1996-03-28 1997-03-25 Instant cut of speech processing characteristics on a telep call
JP9077076A JPH10107898A (ja) 1996-03-28 1997-03-28 電話呼出し中の音声処理機能のフラッシュ・カット
US09/222,802 US6453043B1 (en) 1996-12-18 1998-12-30 Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US1425596P 1996-03-28 1996-03-28
US08/767,359 US6021194A (en) 1996-03-28 1996-12-18 Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call

Related Child Applications (1)

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US09/222,802 Continuation US6453043B1 (en) 1996-12-18 1998-12-30 Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call

Publications (1)

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US6021194A true US6021194A (en) 2000-02-01

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US08/767,359 Expired - Fee Related US6021194A (en) 1996-03-28 1996-12-18 Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call

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US (1) US6021194A (fr)
EP (1) EP0798911A3 (fr)
JP (1) JPH10107898A (fr)
CA (1) CA2199309C (fr)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6453043B1 (en) * 1996-12-18 2002-09-17 At&T Corp. Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call
US20040264440A1 (en) * 2003-06-25 2004-12-30 Sbc, Inc. Ring overlay network dedicated to carry broadcast traffic to DSLAMs
US20050075856A1 (en) * 2003-10-01 2005-04-07 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Data migration using SMS simulator

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP4829816B2 (ja) * 2007-03-08 2011-12-07 オンセミコンダクター・トレーディング・リミテッド エコー防止装置及びプログラム

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US5001701A (en) * 1989-08-07 1991-03-19 At&T Bell Laboratories Subband echo canceler including real time allocation among the subbands
US5123048A (en) * 1988-04-23 1992-06-16 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Speech processing apparatus
US5195132A (en) * 1990-12-03 1993-03-16 At&T Bell Laboratories Telephone network speech signal enhancement
US5230022A (en) * 1990-06-22 1993-07-20 Clarion Co., Ltd. Low frequency compensating circuit for audio signals
US5313498A (en) * 1991-06-13 1994-05-17 Nec Corporation Method and arrangement of echo elimination in digital telecommunications system
US5325435A (en) * 1991-06-12 1994-06-28 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Sound field offset device
US5448631A (en) * 1992-10-13 1995-09-05 U S West Advanced Technologies, Inc. Apparatus for handling features in a telephone network
US5479491A (en) * 1990-05-01 1995-12-26 Tele Guia Talking Yellow Pages Integrated voice-mail based voice and information processing system
US5485515A (en) * 1993-12-29 1996-01-16 At&T Corp. Background noise compensation in a telephone network
US5590241A (en) * 1993-04-30 1996-12-31 Motorola Inc. Speech processing system and method for enhancing a speech signal in a noisy environment
US5852769A (en) * 1995-12-08 1998-12-22 Sharp Microelectronics Technology, Inc. Cellular telephone audio input compensation system and method
US5859908A (en) * 1996-03-28 1999-01-12 At&T Corp. Method and apparatus for applying multiple speech processing features to a telephone call

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JPS61233385A (ja) * 1985-04-08 1986-10-17 Koden Electronics Co Ltd 反響探知装置
US5206902A (en) * 1991-04-01 1993-04-27 At&T Bell Laboratories Network signaling arrangement for controlling tandem network functions
US5280525A (en) * 1991-09-27 1994-01-18 At&T Bell Laboratories Adaptive frequency dependent compensation for telecommunications channels

Patent Citations (14)

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Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4578540A (en) * 1982-12-20 1986-03-25 At&T Bell Laboratories Telecommunications systems
US5123048A (en) * 1988-04-23 1992-06-16 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Speech processing apparatus
US5001701A (en) * 1989-08-07 1991-03-19 At&T Bell Laboratories Subband echo canceler including real time allocation among the subbands
US5479491A (en) * 1990-05-01 1995-12-26 Tele Guia Talking Yellow Pages Integrated voice-mail based voice and information processing system
US5230022A (en) * 1990-06-22 1993-07-20 Clarion Co., Ltd. Low frequency compensating circuit for audio signals
US5195132A (en) * 1990-12-03 1993-03-16 At&T Bell Laboratories Telephone network speech signal enhancement
US5195132B1 (en) * 1990-12-03 1996-03-19 At & T Bell Lab Telephone network speech signal enhancement
US5325435A (en) * 1991-06-12 1994-06-28 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Sound field offset device
US5313498A (en) * 1991-06-13 1994-05-17 Nec Corporation Method and arrangement of echo elimination in digital telecommunications system
US5448631A (en) * 1992-10-13 1995-09-05 U S West Advanced Technologies, Inc. Apparatus for handling features in a telephone network
US5590241A (en) * 1993-04-30 1996-12-31 Motorola Inc. Speech processing system and method for enhancing a speech signal in a noisy environment
US5485515A (en) * 1993-12-29 1996-01-16 At&T Corp. Background noise compensation in a telephone network
US5852769A (en) * 1995-12-08 1998-12-22 Sharp Microelectronics Technology, Inc. Cellular telephone audio input compensation system and method
US5859908A (en) * 1996-03-28 1999-01-12 At&T Corp. Method and apparatus for applying multiple speech processing features to a telephone call

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6453043B1 (en) * 1996-12-18 2002-09-17 At&T Corp. Flash-cut of speech processing features in a telephone call
US20040264440A1 (en) * 2003-06-25 2004-12-30 Sbc, Inc. Ring overlay network dedicated to carry broadcast traffic to DSLAMs
US7301936B2 (en) 2003-06-25 2007-11-27 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Ring overlay network dedicated to carry broadcast traffic to DSLAMs
US20080080537A1 (en) * 2003-06-25 2008-04-03 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Ring overlay network dedicated to carry broadcast traffic to dslams
US8144721B2 (en) 2003-06-25 2012-03-27 At&T Intellectual Property 1, Lp Ring overlay network dedicated to carry broadcast traffic to DSLAMs
US20050075856A1 (en) * 2003-10-01 2005-04-07 Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P. Data migration using SMS simulator

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP0798911A2 (fr) 1997-10-01
EP0798911A3 (fr) 1999-10-27
JPH10107898A (ja) 1998-04-24
CA2199309A1 (fr) 1997-09-28
CA2199309C (fr) 2000-05-30
MX9702228A (es) 1998-03-31

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